Butter-cutter.



No. 68|,9|2. Patented sept. 3, `mol.`

.'P. F. GIBBoNs.

,BUTTER GUTTER.

(Application led June 1, 1901.) (no Model.) 2 shets-sheef l.

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No. 68mm. `Panama sept. 3, |901.v

P. F. GlBoNs.

BUTTER CUTTER.

(Application Bled June 1, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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v UNITED STATES PME-ni omen- PIERCE F. GIBBONS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BUTTER-CUTTER.

srnorrrcarrolv forming part o'f Letters meent No. 681,912, datedseptember s, 190i.

Application iiled J'rine 1,1901. Serial No. 62H06; (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PiERoE F. GIBBoNs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Butter-Cutters, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a device which is moreespecially intended for use in hotels and restaurants for cutting butterinto small pieces, so that the same may be conveniently served inindividual portions, but it may be used for cutting other plasticmaterial; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction,novel arrangement, and operation of the various parts thereof, as willbe hereinafter more fully set forth,and specifically claimed.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a butter-cutter whichshall be simple, inexpensive, durable, and effective in operation andshall be so made as to cut the butter into small pieces and in such amanner that said pieces will have an attractive appearance or, in otherwords, will be clean cut without ragged edges.

As butter is now generally supplied to hotels and restaurants in cakesof uniform size and weight and usually in brick-shaped packages, anotherobject of my invention is to so construct the cutter that the cake ofbutter will be divided into the desired number of pieces by one movementof the cutter-handle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in thesubjoined description.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionpertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it,referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a view inside elevation of a butter-cutter embodying my invention andillustrating by dotted lines the position which the plunger-handle .willoccupy in the process in forcing the butter through thecutting-receptacle. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cutter, showing theparts in position to receive the cake of butter. Fig. 3 is a view,partly in section and partly in elevation, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 4 is a fragmentalsectional view taken on linee 4 of Fig. 2 looking'in the directionindicated by the arrows,- and Fig. 5 represents perspective views ofportionsof the transverse cutting-wires and their securing-hooks.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the different views ofthe drawings.

A represents the base-plate on which the cutting mechanism is mountedand which plate or piece is supported by means of legs a, so as topermit a dish or plate to be placed thereunder to receive the pieces ofbutter after they have been cut. At one end of the base plate A isprovided an upright b, to which is hinged at one of its ends theplunger-handle B, which carries near its other end'a check-rod B', whichis usually pivotally secured at its upper end to the handle B and hasits lower portion screw-threaded and provided with a nut b', used forregulating the stroke of the handle B, as will be presently explained.

The base-plate A is formed at about its middle with an opening a', whichis preferably rectangular in shape to permit of the passage of thebutter therethrough. The upper surface of the base-plate A is providednear its side edges with standards A', usually cylindrical in form, asshown, and are for the purpose of guiding and bracing the plunger C,which is pivotally connected to the plungerhandle B by means of links Cor otherwise. The plunger C is provided with a series of transverserecesses cin its lower portion and with a longitudinal recess c", whichis also located in its lower portion and which recesses extend upwardlyto about the middle of the plunger, as is clearly shown, and are for thereception of the cross-wires and a longitudinal wire, which extendacross the butter-receptacle, as will be presently explained. Secured tothe upper portion of the plunger C and at the ends thereof are bracketsC2, each of which has at its outer end a collar C3 of a size and form toit the standards A and are used in coperation with said standards toguide and brace the plunger.

Secured to the upper surface of the baseplate A, above the openingtherein, is aboxlike receptacle D, which has its top and bot- IOO tomopen, so as to register with the opening a in the base-plate. The sidesd of this receptacle are provided with a series of vertical slots d',and the end pieces cl2 thereof are each provided about their middle withan opening or slot d3 for the passage of a wire d4, which extendslongitudinally through said receptacle and has its ends secured to adjListing-screws c2, located in the lower portion of the standard A', andin suitable brackets c3, secured to the side edges of the baseplate. Thescrew-threaded portions of the adjusting-screws c2 are provided withnuts c, employed for adjusting said screws so as to give the wire d4 thedesired tension.

Located near the rear portion of the box or receptacle D and secured tothe upper surface of the base-plate is a brace-barE, through which ispassed a series of hooks e, which engage one of the ends of the wires gand g', the other ends of which are engaged by hooked adjusting-screwsc', located in the brace-bar E', which bar is secured to the base-platenear the front portion of the boxD or butterreceptacle. Thescrewthreaded portions of the hooked adjusting-screws e are providedwith nuts e2, employed for adjusting said screws so as to regulate thetension of the wires g and g', which pass through the recesses d' in thesides otsaid receptacle. At

one of its ends the brace-bar E is provided with an antifriction-rollerg2 and at its other end with a similar roller gigwhich is journaled on ashaft g4, pivotally secured to the bar E', as is clearly shown in Fig. 3of the drawings. Passing through the shaft g is a screw g5, the end ofwhich rests against the bar E and is employed for adjusting the positionof the roller gaand for regulating the tension ot' the cutting-wire h,which is attached at its ends to the cutter-handle H near the free endsthereof. This cutter handle is preferably formed of wire, bent to formsubstantially three sides of a rectangular ligure, and usually has onits outer portion a wooden handle II to be clasped by the hand of theoperator. The cutter-handle H is secured to the upper surface of thebase-plate by means of guide pieces 7i and has its sides resting againstthe rollers g2 and g3, as is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3y of thedrawings, and the ends of the sides are slightly drawn together, asshown in Fig. 2 so that when the handle is drawn outwardly, in whichoperation the cutting-wire h will vcome in contact with the butter, itwill be held taut by reason of the said rollers, which press the sidesof the handle outwardly. The handle being made of wire will yieldsufficiently to permit its outward movement and yet will hold the wire hon a strain.

Secured to the upper surface of the baseplate, near one of the standardsA', is a spring I, which normally presses at its upper portion againstsaid standard and is for the purpose of retaining the plunger C in itsraised position until it is desired to use the same, for it is apparentthat the upper end of said spring will rest under one of the collars C3which the plunger carries.

The operation is simple and as follows: When the plunger and its handleB are raised to the position shown by full lines in Fig. l of thedrawings, the cake of butter L may be placed in the receptacle D, so asto rest on the wires g, extending crosswise thereof. By disengaging thespring I from the standard A the plunger can be pressed down to theposition shown by dotted lines at a; in Fig. l, in which operationone-half of the cake of butter will be forced through the box D andopening a' in the base-plate. When thus forced through, the transversewires g and g will divide the cake or butter transversely, and the wired4, which extends longitudinally of the receptacle D, will divide saidcake longitudinally. When the parts are in this position, thecutter-handle H is drawn forward, thus causing the wire h to sever thedivided portions of the cake of butter and allow them to fall into thereceptacle therefor below the base-plate. By releasing the check-rodBfrom the edge of the base-plate the plunger may be pressed down, sothatthe handle B thereof will occupy the position shown by dotted lines atyin Fig. 1 of the drawings, which operation will force the balance of thecake'of butter through the receptacle D and opening a in the base-plate.lt will be observed that the transverse wires g are much smaller thanthe wires g and that they are attached by being twisted together attheir ends, as is clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. By having theupper transverse wires smaller than the lower ones it is apparent thatthe smaller or upper wires will rst divide the cake, and the lower orlarger wires will serve to further separate the pieces, thus attainingthe operation of knife-blades, having one of their edges thin and theirother edges thicker without the area or surface to which the butterwould cling.

The cutter-handle and its wire may sometimes be omitted when it isdesired to cut the butter into pieces known as hotel-bars that is,pieces larger than those formed when said handle is employed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a butter-cutter, the combination with a base-plate having anopening, of a butterreceptacle supported above said opening, wiresextending across and longitudinally of said receptacle and having meansto regulate their tension, a cutterhandle movably secured below saidreceptacle and carrying on its inner portion a cutting-wire, aplungerhandle pivotally secured at one of its ends and located above thebutter-receptacle, a plunger pivotally connected to said handle andhaving transverse and longitudinal re- IOC IIO

cesses in its lower surface for the reception of the wires across thebutter-receptacle, substantially as described.

2. In a butter-cutter, the combination with a base-plate having anopening and provided with standards near said opening, of abutter-receptacle supported above said opening, wires extending acrossand longitudinally of said receptacle and having means to regulate theirtension, a cutter-handle movably secured below said receptacle andcarrying on its inner portion a cutting-wire, a plungerhandle pivotallysecured at one of its ends and located above the butter-receptacle, aplunger pivotally connected to said handle and having transverse andlongitudinal recesses in its lower portion, brackets secured t0 the endsof the plunger and having collars to embrace the said standards,substantially as described.r

8. In a butter-cutter, the combination with a base-plate having anopening, of a butterreceptacle supported above said opening, a series ofsmall wires extending in parallelism across said receptacle, a series oflarger wires located vertically below the first-named wires and inparallelism across said receptacle, a wire extending longitudinally ofsaid receptacle, means to regulate the tension of said wires, acutter-handle movably secured below the butter-receptacle and carryingon its inner portion a cutting-wire, and means to force the butterthrough the receptacle, substantially as described.

4. In a butter-cutter, the combination with a base-plate having anopening and provided withVst-andards near said opening, of abutter-receptacle supported above said opening, wires extending acrossand longitudinally of said receptacle and having means to regulate theirtension, a cutter-handle movably secured below said receptacle andcarrying on its inner portion a cutting-Wire, a plungerhandle pivotallysecured at lone of its ends and located above the butter-receptacle andprovided with a check-rod having a nut adjustably secured thereon, aplunger pivotally connected to said handle and having transverse andlongitudinal recesses in its lower surface, brackets secured to the endsof the plunger and having collars to embrace the said standards,substantially as described.

5. In a butter-cutter, the combination with a base-plate having anopening and provided with a standard near each end of said opening, of abutter-receptacle supported above said opening, wires extending acrossand longitudinally of said receptacle and having means to regulate theirtension, a roller journaled near-one end of the butter-receptacle,another roller journaled near the other end of the receptacle, andhaving means to adjust it, a cutter-handle horizontally movablysecuredon the upper surface of the baseplate, and having its sides inengagement with said rollers, a cutting-wire secured to the innerportion of said handle, a plungerhandle pivotally secured at one of itsends and located above the receptacle, a plunger pivotally connected tosaid handle and having transverse and longitudinal recesses in its lowerportion, and brackets secured to the ends of the plunger and havingcollars to embrace the said standards, substantially as described.

6. In a butter-cutter, the combination of a butter-receptacle, with aseries of small wires extending in parallelism across said receptacle,and a series of larger wires located directly below'the first-namedwires and in parallelism across said receptacle, substantially asdescribed.

PIERCE F. GIBBONS. Witnesses:

CHAs. C. TILLMAN, A. GUsTAFsoN.

